Fred Willard won't face lewd-conduct trial

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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Fred Willard has finished a diversion program for minor offenses and will not be tried for lewd conduct relating to a July arrest, prosecutors said.

City attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said Monday Willard, 79, completed the program designed to divert minor offenders from the criminal justice system, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Los Angeles Police Department undercover vice officers on a routine walk-through in July arrested Willard at the Tiki Theater after finding him watching a pornographic movie with his penis exposed and in his hand.

He was cited for lewd conduct and released from police custody the same night.

Willard is best known for his work on the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" and in writer-director Christopher Guest's mockumentaries "This is Spinal Tap," "Waiting for Guffman," "For Your Consideration," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind." He is now host of the improv-comedy series "Trust Us with Your Life."

PBS fired him from its show "Market Warriors" after the arrest.